Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker demands Biden do something about migrant ‘crisis’

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday called on President Biden to take “swift action” to address the federal government’s “lack of intervention and coordination” at the southern border. 

Pritzker, in a letter to the 80-year-old president demanding federal assistance, said the influx of migrants has created an “untenable situation for Illinois.” 

“Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government,” Pritzker wrote. “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.”

Some 15,000 migrants have sapped Illinois of resources in the 13 months since the arrival of the first bus of asylum seekers from Texas, Pritzker claimed.

Pritzker noted that his state has spent more than $330 million to provide humanitarian aid for the migrants, on top of more than $100 million contributed by the city of Chicago, but is struggling to handle the influx of asylum seekers. 

“Though we have found temporary housing in existing buildings for a majority of the refugees, we are challenged to find additional housing for the continuous flow of people who keep coming and are now forced to sleep in police stations and on sidewalks,” Pritzker wrote. “This situation is untenable and requires your immediate help beyond the coming work authorization for some of the asylum seekers.” 

“There is much more that can and must be done on a federal level to address a national humanitarian crisis that is currently being shouldered by state and local governments without support.” 

Pritzker’s letter to Biden contains a list of recommendations for how the federal government can help states reeling from the crisis on the southern border, among them is a suggestion that the president appoint a point person to handle the immigration emergency.  

“First and foremost, I recommend that there be one person in the federal government who works directly for you in the White House who can lead the oversight of our nation’s efforts at the border,” Pritzker wrote.

“Right now, we have too many different federal department contacts —  who are uncoordinated with one another —  that handle various programs related to this humanitarian crisis. A single office with an identified leader must be assigned to work for the cities and states across the silos of government to manage the challenges we all face,” he said.

Pritzker also recommended that the Biden administration take on a “much more active role” in the transporting of migrants out of border states, arguing that it is unfair that a state such as Texas is able to pick and choose which cities it busses migrants to. 

“It cannot be that just a few cities and states should now bear the cost of this effort alone,” he argued. 

The governor further asked Biden to waive fees for migrants applying for temporary protected status, provide financial support to states, local governments, and non-governmental organizations for temporary housing, food and social services for migrants, accelerate the timeline for employment authorization for migrants and approve Illinois’ requests for Medicaid waivers and housing vouchers. 

“Mr. President, I urge you, Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, and the rest of your administration to take swift action and intervene on our behalf and on behalf of the other affected states and their residents, as well as on behalf of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who undertook a dangerous and difficult journey in hopes of attaining public safety and forging a better life for themselves and their families,” Pritzker’s letter concludes. 

Like Pritzker,  New York City Mayor Eric Adams has appealed to the White House for months for help with the migrant crisis, arguing  that it will cost the Big Apple $12 billion over three years to handle the surge. 

“There’s no leadership here,” Adams told several Biden administration advisors while in Washington, D.C., last October, begging for federal help with the crisis, according to CNN.